All women dream of the day they will get married and how perfect they will look walking up that aisle. Perhaps some dream of a slim dress with a long train, while others may dream of a Cinderella style gown with a sequined skirt. How is one to get this perfect dress they have dreamed of before at a low cost? Are you going to have to sacrifice your dreams and only settle for pretty instead of beautiful? The answer is no.
There are so many ways to get your dream dress at a reasonable price: use your grandmother’s/mother’s, go boutique and thrift store shopping, or make it yourself if you know how to sew. Most dresses are thousands of dollars if you buy them from the official bridal stores, with more money tacked on to modify the dress to make it a perfect fit. You don’t want to have to pay this much, when you can find your dress at a much cheaper price.
Though you may be cringing at the thought of wearing your grandmother’s/mother’s dress, vintage lends an elegant touch to a wedding, and most dresses you can have modified by an adept seamstress to bring it up to date. Another advantage to using a hand-me-down gown is that you are celebrating your wedding in the dress your grandmother/mother wore; it is part of your heritage. Through her wedding you came about, and now you are honoring her by wearing her gown to enter into your own marriage. Many mothers are touched when their children desire to wear their gown, which is a way is a ‘thank you’ to the mother. Many vintage styles are coming back into fashion as well, and just a little adjusting may get you your dream dress.
Boutique and thrift stores are also places to find beautiful gowns. Usually brides now days don’t want to keep their dresses. You are assured a dress that has seen very little wear and is basically brand new at a really low price. I have found in the past that if you go to boutique/consignment stores, they usually have better and higher quality selections than a generic thrift store. However, when looking for a dress at these places, make sure that you check for wine stains and yellowing, which occurs when dresses have aged for a long time. Also check for rips and tears. Most dresses are not defective, and many of them are beautiful to begin with. A little adjusting by a seamstress is all that is needed, and you are set to go.
If you don’t want to use your mother’s gown or buy a used one from a thrift store, then sewing it yourself (only if you are a really good seamstress) or having a friend/mother (who is a really good seamstress) sew it. I stress the “really good seamstress” aspect because wedding dresses are very complicated to sew because you have so much material to deal with as well as matching the lace and applying the sequins; in other words it is no easy task. When shopping for the material, you may look at the price and gasp. However, even though the material is very expensive, over all you can sew a very beautiful wedding dress at a price that is less than 1/3 the price you would be paying at a bridal shop. Another advantage to creating your own is that you can make adjustments to the style to fit your exact preference and truly make the creation of your dreams.
These are some ways of saving money while still getting your dream dress so you look perfect for your special someone. Though dresses will still cost some money, you can get yours at a much cheaper price than if you went and bought a gown at a retail store.
